Metro Vancouver’s role in agriculture and food is to support a sustainable, resilient and healthy food system by developing regional agriculture and food policy under the direction of the Board’s Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee. Key activities to be advanced in collaboration with other agencies and organizations to:

• implement the Regional Food System Strategy
• protect the regional supply of agricultural land
• increase the amount of actively farmed land 
• strengthen the economic viability of farming and the food value chain
• promote the reduction of food waste
• increase agriculture and local healthy food awareness
  
  

COMMITTEES

Established in 2006, the Agriculture Committee, comprised of elected officials, provides advice and recommendations to the Metro Vancouver Board on agricultural issues, reviews and monitors the agriculture work program, considers staff reports on policies, projects and programs, oversees the work of the Agriculture Advisory Committee and hears public delegations related to agri-food issues in the region. The Agriculture Committee membership, agendas and minutes are available at Boards and Committees. 

Since 1992, the Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) has raised awareness about the importance of agriculture in the region, provided advice to the Board on matters impacting local farming and served as a forum for communicating agricultural concerns to all levels of government. The AAC members represent a diversity of agriculture commodity groups, food related organizations and municipalities in the region.

 Metro Vancouver Agriculture Advisory Committee (AAC) Membership

1. Increase capacity to produce food closer to home
2. Improve the financial viability of the food sector
3. People make healthy and sustainable food choices
4. Everyone has access to healthy, culturally diverse and affordable food
5. A food system consistent with ecological health Increasing local capacity to produce food 

Current initiatives are already underway to support these goals and other proposed actions are listed in the Strategy. Some of the actions fall within Metro Vancouver’s jurisdiction, however others will require a more concerted effort to bring about the changes necessary to make the region’s food system more sustainable, resilient and healthy. The next step for Metro Vancouver is start working on actions that support the Strategy and develop an Action Plan with partners. Metro Vancouver will work with other governments, the private sector and community organizations to identify priority actions to start immediately to strengthen the local food system.  Regional Food System Strategy, Feburary 2011

Regional Food System Diagram

CURRENT INTIATIVES

Agriculture Awareness Grants
Each year Metro Vancouver supports agriculture awareness by providing funding grants to non profit organizations to educate the public about local agriculture production. The grant application process starts in January. For further information on the next grant application process and requirements contact Ofie DeGuzman at ofelia.deguzman@metrovancouver.org.

 2011 Metro Vancouver Agriculture Awareness Grant Recipients

Agricultural Land Use Inventory (ALUI) and Agricultural Water Demand Model (AWDM) 2010-2011
Metro Vancouver in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands is currently updating land use inventories of the region’s farmland that will be used to develop a water model that can estimate the agricultural water demand for current and future scenarios.

 Metro Vancouver ALUI and AWDM Project Overview